Learn Hardcore Italian: La sera, se sono molto stanco, preferisco addormentarmi presto. - In the evening, if I am very tired, I prefer to fall asleep early.

Se means “if” and it introduces the conditional clause “if I am very tired.” This clause specifies the condition under which the speaker prefers to perform the action.

Why is the verb written as addormentarmi with the mi attached?

Addormentarmi is the infinitive form of the reflexive verb “addormentarsi,” which means “to fall asleep.” The attached mi is the reflexive pronoun referring to “I” (myself). In Italian, reflexive pronouns are attached to the end of an infinitive when describing actions that one does to oneself.

How does preferisco function in this sentence, particularly in relation to the following infinitive?

Preferisco is the first-person singular present form of “preferire,” meaning “I prefer.” In Italian, it is common to follow a verb like preferire with an infinitive to describe the action that is preferred—in this case, addormentarmi (“to fall asleep”).

Why is the adjective stanco used in its given form, and what does this tell us about the speaker?

Stanco means “tired” and is in the masculine singular form, which tells us that the speaker is male. If the speaker were female, the adjective would be stanca to match the feminine gender.

Can you explain the overall sentence structure and how its parts work together?

The sentence is organized into three main parts:

La sera – a time expression that sets the context (“in the evening”).
se sono molto stanco – a conditional clause introducing the condition (“if I am very tired”).
preferisco addormentarmi presto – the main clause expressing the speaker’s preference (“I prefer to fall asleep early”). This structure, where an introductory time phrase is followed by a condition and then the main action, is typical in Italian.